Our Blog
New CBF Director of Development Opportunity
Lawyering After the Pandemic—A Jolt to a Better Future If We Take the Cue
Illinois JusticeCorps Seeking Fellowship Applications
Welcome Melanie and Introducing Our New CBF Staff Leadership Team
CBF Inaugurates New Public Service Award in Honor of former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas L. Kilbride
March 3, 2021
Gil Soffer to Chair 2021 Investing in Justice Campaign
The CBF is excited to announce that Gil Soffer, managing partner at Katten Muchin & Rosenman LLP, will lead the CBF’s 15th Annual Investing in Justice Campaign. The Campaign is the CBF’s annual initiative that rallies Chicago’s entire legal community around our common cause of ensuring that everyone has access to necessary legal help, not just […]
Tags: Investing in Justice Campaign read more ...February 24, 2021
Start With Why
You may recognize that as the title of one of the all-time great business books by Simon Sinek. While I highly recommend the book if you have not read it (as well as his TED Talk on the subject), I borrowed his title for this month’s post, because it offers a great roadmap for the next chapter in my 2021 Resolution series: building a better new normal for offices, conferences, and trainings.
Tags: Future of the Profession read more ...February 22, 2021
Thank You Elena and Good Luck!
February brought the bittersweet news that our Director of Development & Communications, Elena Dennis, is going to be leaving us at the end of the month for a new position with LINK Unlimited Scholars. LINK Unlimited is an impressive organization helping African American youth to succeed in high school and beyond, and Elena will have […]
Tags: CBF Staff read more ...February 15, 2021
2020 Selected Legal Aid Highlights
In January, the Chicago Bar Association Legal Aid Committee celebrated the impressive achievements of 25+ legal aid organizations here in the Chicagoland area in 2020. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, these dedicated institutions have demonstrated tremendous innovation and have continued to serve the legal needs of underrepresented communities.
Tags: Legal Aid Committee | Legal Aid Organizations | Success! read more ...January 26, 2021
Cy Pres Awards Continue to Advance Access to Justice Through the CBF
Cy pres awards have played a big part in the CBF’s growth and impact over the years, and this past year was no exception. These awards come from residual funds in class action cases (and sometimes other types of proceedings) that, for any number of reasons, are unclaimed or cannot be distributed to the class […]
Tags: Cy Pres read more ...January 25, 2021
Sustainable Solutions to the Student Debt Crisis
Amidst the welcome national attention and commitments in the new Administration and Congress to tackle the student debt crisis, the CBF held a briefing this month to discuss long-term and sustainable solutions to this overarching problem.
As recent law graduates are fully aware, lawyers often leave school with significant amounts of debt. For those choosing higher-paying […]
Tags: Advocacy | Loan Forgiveness | Student Debt Reform read more ...January 23, 2021
Sixteenth JEP Cohort Kicks Off 18-Month Program
On January 11, the CBF Justice Entrepreneurs Project welcomed its sixteenth cohort into the program. Similar to our last cohort, these four attorneys—Daniel Bruce, Amy Cook, Terra Gross, and India Rios—are eager to take on the immense challenges and need created by COVID-19 by starting innovative, socially conscious practices helping everyday people and small businesses. The new JEPers join over 60 attorneys currently in the JEP Network.
Tags: JEP read more ...January 21, 2021
New Chatbot Offers 24/7 Information and Referrals for Pandemic Related Legal Issues
COVID Housing and Economic Loss Prevention (COVID HELP) is a new online navigation tool designed to guide Illinois residents to up-to-date information and referrals for common COVID-related legal issues including housing, debt, unemployment, bankruptcy, and guardianship issues. Through the website, users can connect 24/7 with a team of chatbots designed and created by legal aid experts to provide answers to common questions and automated referrals for more complex legal issues.
Tags: Legal Aid Organizations | Legal Innovation | Self-Help Resources read more ...January 20, 2021
The CBF is Hiring a New Associate Director for Grants & COO
After 16 years of exemplary leadership and great work for the CBF, Dina Merrell will be leaving Chicago and leaving the CBF for new horizons.
We will have more to say about this bittersweet news and the tremendous impact Dina has made during her tenure soon, but we are now in the market for a new […]
Tags: CBF Staff read more ...January 19, 2021
A Wellness Action Plan to (Re)Start 2021
When I thought about where to start my 2021 Resolution for the Legal Profession series, I quickly settled on wellness, because starting the year off on the right foot is so important to the success of the rest. Further, the tumultuous start to 2021 has only underscored that this is the right topic to begin with.
Because I am hardly an authority in this area and have a solid track record of not setting a great example, I brought in the real expert I quoted in the Resolution, Erin Clifford, who was kind enough to agree to share some of her wisdom here:
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